Jay Ong, head of Disney’s Games Group, and Jeff Clanagan, president and co-founder of Hartbeat, are joining the programming lineup at next month’s Infinity Festival.
Ong will discuss the strategies and creative principles behind the media giant’s approach to leveraging its formidable library of IP in the gaming world. Disney has recently taken a more aggressive approach to gaming after previously facing challenges in the sector, announcing one signature investment in 2024: a minority stake in Fortnite maker Epic Games.
Clanagan will offer a first look at The Obsidian, revealing how AI-enabled visualization and audience validation guided the project. He will be joined by Beast Media Groups co-founder Russell Naftal, who will speak about the company’s AI-driven storytelling process and strategy for content distribution.
The eighth annual festival will be held October 9 and 10 at neighboring Mid-Wilshire sites – the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Museum and Sony Imageworks’ new campus. Combining entertainment, technology and gaming, the event brings together a range of stakeholders in the creative process with a focus on innovation.
Previously announced elements of the Infinity lineup include the expanded Monolith Awards, which recognize advances in technology and entertainment; and a behind-the-scenes session about the making of Sony-Netflix animated smash Kpop Demon Hunters.
Deadline is a presenting media sponsor of the festival.
Other newly confirmed programming includes a session about the ways that AI is reshaping the process of connecting with audiences. Filmmaker Jeremy Snead’s feature Matter of Time and gamer-centric media outlet IGN’s Imagine Cognitive AI platform will together provide a case study, with Snead, veteran marketing exec Loren Schwartz, and IGN SVP of Marketing Karl Stewart aboard as speakers.
Sports technology and trends in gaming will be topics of additional panels. Execs from Nvidia, HP, AMD, the Belgium Economic Mission, Dolby, AWS and the AI Studio Lab in association with ETC at USC will deliver keynote presentations.
“Infinity Festival has always been about exploring the intersection of creativity and technology, and this year we’re taking that to the next level,” said Phil Hong and Scott Shaw of the Infinity Festival programming team.
“Our mission has always been to celebrate the creators and technologists driving the future of storytelling, and this year’s lineup showcases just how powerful that intersection can be,” the fest’s founder & CEO Mark Lieber and Chief Creative Officer Adam Newman added.
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